New ETSC report says that cycling isn't being made safe enough, quickly enough across all of Europe. Cyclists remain among the most vulnerable road users. What's needed: More 20 mph/30 kmh zones, more protected lanes, safer junctions #VisionZero #ActiveTravel @walkridegm.org.uk

4000 cyclists on one cycle lane by 0845, when normally there are 250 There is no reason Greater Manchester is different, apart from the lack of safe #ActiveTravel infrastructure to give people #TransportChoice in a public transport strike and an #OilShock

From Barcelona to Paris, cities thrive with women in charge. It’s all about sharing public space | Melissa and Chris Bruntlett

#PetrolPrices are up 30p/litre and it's no wonder nearly 1:3 drivers is considering switching to cycling for short journeys. Building #ActiveTravel infrastructure enables people to make cheaper and healthier transport choices #CostOfLiving @walkridegm.org.uk @cyclinguk.bsky.social

#MyRideOurRight - women deserve safe cycling routes @cyclinguk.bsky.social

Nearly 3 in 10 drivers are switching to walking or cycling short journeys due to the #OilShock. Ahead of #LocalElections, call on your councillors to deliver safe infrastructure to enable people to switch to cheaper transport, & save fuel for those who need it #ActiveTravel @cyclinguk.bsky.social

IF YOU BUILD A BIKE LANE THAT DOESN'T CONNECT TO ANOTHER BIKE LANE THEN YOU DIDN'T BUILD A BIKE LANE

Rising fuel costs are changing travel habits⛽️ New YouGov research for Cycling UK shows 28% of drivers are walking/cycling more, with 15% considering it. cyclinguk.org/news/more-people-turn-walking-and-cycling-fuel-costs-rise

How to get around by @davewalker.bsky.social for @cyclinguk.bsky.social

If you are a Councillor, please watch this. It happened nearly 50 years ago in the Netherlands. The arguments against restricting traffic were the same as those made today and were proven to be wrong. Many cities would greatly benefit from a circulation plan. youtu.be/bgKokpZMFnU?...

Petrol up 30p a litre but walking & cycling are still free & as the weather improves, @cyclinguk.bsky.social has data suggesting 30% of drivers are switching some trips. Join them - be healthy, save money, save fuel for the trips when it’s really needed #OilShock #ActiveTravel @walkridegm.org.uk

At a time of rising #PetrolPrices, a failure of our politicians to provide adequate #ActiveTravel infrastructure risks disproportionately isolating women, who are more likely to be put off cycling by a lack of safe infrastructure #MyRideOurRight @cyclinguk.bsky.social

Excellent video on #Motornormativity from @sirichardson.bsky.social and GCN, featuring @ianwalker.bsky.social. Once you see motornornativity, you can’t unsee it - we need to design our public realm better #ActiveTravel

Lovely thread celebrating the 5th anniversary of a #LowTrafficNeighbourhood, pointing out its benefits to road safety and independence of young people. When will a Greater Manchester council follow Oxford’s lead? @cycloxoxford.bsky.social @walkridegm.org.uk

Loads of people out on bikes this evening #Rochdale

Good article from @theguardian.com Australia on getting your bike up and running - #PetrolPrices keep rising, but many car journeys are less than three miles & can be walked or cycled for nothing. Why are we not seeing things like this in the British press, especially as we move into nicer weather?

At a time when #PetrolPrices are rising, walking and cycling remain free. This is a good initiative from @britishcycling.org.uk to get more bikes out of sheds and into use, to help with the rising cost of living and #TransportPoverty

Excellent piece on #Greenways by @lauralaker.bsky.social - rural areas need #ActiveTravel routes connecting towns and villages just as much as urban areas do and it's important that barriers to building these are minimised @walkridegm.org.uk

Local elections are three weeks away! Now is a great time to open up a conversation on active travel with your future councillors – here's @slowbikeiain.bsky.social's top tips. ⚡️ Tip 1: When communicating with candidates, keep it quick.

Absolutely, just as there are people who can't cycle, there are people who can't drive but who can use safe #ActiveTravel infrastructure using mobility devices or adapted cycles

Excellent and thought provoking video from #GCN on #ActiveTravel (and featuring @ianwalker.bsky.social). Cycle lanes may not be ‘fair’ but they are less unfair than the #motornormative status quo. @sirichardson.bsky.social @walkridegm.org.uk

Unleaded £1.55/litre? Many car journeys are short enough to walk or cycle, and these remain free (and healthy) #ActiveTravel #PetrolPrices

In unsurprising news, apart from the dangers to vulnerable road users, the space they take up, and the fuel they use, #SUVs damage the fabric of our towns and cities more than smaller cars. Time for tax disincentives to buying these in urban areas

Good piece from @thetimes.com about #LowTrafficNeighbourhoods - hopefully this will give politicians support to cut through the noise. Also nice to see this from the paper which ran the award winning #CitiesFitForCycling campaign

Disconnected expensive pocket schemes everywhere, rather than quickly built "good enough" networks. We spend millions on junctions that literally have no cycle infra on either side. Ignore all the easy wins and have no joint up thinking between any local councils... Basically it's shit.

The Herald letters page missing the point that cycling makes up approximately 2% of journeys but only gets 0.5% of highways funding. An end to disproportionate funding would be welcome, and likely transformative #ActiveTravel

"This isn't Amsterdam, you know – we have twice as much snow!" is my new favourite excuse @stockportcouncil.bsky.social what can we do about this? (No, not the snow, the lack of safe and accessible cycling infrastructure)

This is quite an interesting tool for comparing towns and cities when it comes to #ActiveTravel provision @walkridegm.org.uk

Why can’t this be looked at? @lauralaker.bsky.social @adamtranter.bsky.social one for an episode of @podstreetsahead.bsky.social maybe?

There really isn't an excuse. You're definitely further ahead than us down the river.

Why not #Manchester?

We could have this too, with political leadership. Don’t forget that keeping people active for longer also keeps them independent, and reduces social care needs; people who use #ActiveTravel to get to work have fewer sick days than those who don’t. @walkridegm.org.uk

Cycling comprises 2% of journeys but gets 0.5% of roads funding. Imagine how transformative this would be if it was quadrupled? #ActiveTravel @walkridegm.org.uk

“And every attempt to tighten the rules is met with cries of a “war on motorists”. This narrative must end.” Absolutely, because without this, and without reallocation of public space away from private cars, the end result is a one-sided War on Vulnerable Road Users #SaferStreets

#CarDependence freezes people who cannot drive due to age, health or socioeconomic factors out of economic activity. We call upon our politicians to make it easier to get around our towns and cities without needing to drive #LocalElections2026 @walkridegm.org.uk

While this is framed as #ModalShift from public transport to e-bikes/escooters rather than from private car use, it makes important points about disjointed schemes mitigating against this

We all agree that #ExceptionalHardship should be banned, that people pleading it have had several chances to change their behaviour, & that @cyclinguk.bsky.social’s evidence shows that people let off on EH are very likely to carry in offending. So why wasn’t it mentioned in the #RoadSafetyStrategy?

Your occasional reminder that people who walk or cycle to work take fewer sick days. Why can’t we have a scheme like this? #TheMiraclePill #ActiveTravel

A cargo bike can replace up to 50% of car trips. But sales in the UK last year were <5% of those up in Germany - lack of safe #ActiveTravel infrastructure is holding back what is a cheap and oil-independent mode of transport #CostOfLiving #PetrolPrices @walkridegm.org.uk

It’s lack of infrastructure, isn’t it? #ActiveTravel @walkridegm.org.uk

I wonder what @heidialexander.bsky.social is doing about this. Also, is this one for an episode of @podstreetsahead.bsky.social? @lauralaker.bsky.social @adamtranter.bsky.social @nedboulting.bsky.social #ActiveTravel

The real change we need to see is that clause amended to elevate Level of Traffic Stress scoring to the same level, or higher, than Level of Service. So that if a junction would be LTS4, it wouldn't be approved in the same way that LoS currently prevents safe junctions from being approved today.

The problem is, if that prevents the local authority from securing the expeditious movement of traffic, then it won't get approved. Which is the real reasons why so many active travel schemes – from paint to LTN1/20 – skip junctions. Strictly interpreted, the law doesn't enable ped/bike priority.

Prioritising safety almost always means reducing traffic through flow, whether by prioritising pedestrian and bike navigation (true Dutch roundabouts, rather than its UK bastard love-child, the cyclops), or by using ped/bike priority signalling.

In practice, this means that if an active travel scheme would impede the 'expeditious movement of traffic', it will be rejected or watered down until it doesn't impact traffic anymore. The key issue is that is antithetical to the point of active travel infrastructure – to prioritise safety.

The fundamental problem, and the dirty laundry that doesn't get talked about, is level of service - or more specifically, the specific clause of the Traffic Management Act (2004) that states local authorities have a legal obligation to "secure the expeditious movement of traffic".

This is why we need continuous schemes and building safer junctions needs to be prioritised. Continuous routes also encourage more #ModalShift than short discontinuous sections - should we be building “spinal” routes then build out from there? #ActiveTravel @walkridegm.org.uk

#QuietLanes are pointless - mean absolutely nothing. There's one round here which is just a nasty rat-run with cars going through at the usual speed. @walkriderochdale.org.uk

Unleaded now over £1.50/litre locally. Walking and cycling are still free #PetrolPrices

Wise words from @willnorman.co.uk on the latest @podstreetsahead.bsky.social “There's a reason why councils who make these brave and bold decisions, keep on getting reelected is because they are popular” @walkridegm.org.uk #ActiveTravel